Virginia Abrasives Names Round Lake Resident CEO

Round Lake resident Kelly Bye has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Virginia Abrasives Corp. and subsidiary Johnson Abrasives, effective April 17.

Mr. Bye brings extensive manufacturing experience and joins the team after nearly four years with Benjamin Moore & Company, and nearly 26 years with Rust-Oleum Corporation, both in the Chicago area. He has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Rockford University. His combined experience in finance, sales management and manufacturing are ideally suited to the manufacturing company, which is based in Petersburg, VA.

"I'm very excited to be joining this growing and dynamic team," Mr. Bye said. "The company is renowned for its top-notch customer experience, from the first contact through to the way they stand behind their products, and I am looking forward to strategically planning the future of the company," he added.

Mr. Bye will be based at Virginia Abrasives' world headquarters in Petersburg, VA and will be relocating to the region.

One of only five companies that makes sandpaper in the United States, Virginia Abrasives carries a vast assortment of cutting, finishing, surface preparation and floor care products and solutions. In 2021, the company added Jaffrey, NH-based Johnson Abrasives to their portfolio of companies. The company's focus on abrasives for both flooring and drywall, diamond abrasives for concrete and asphalt cutting and surface preparation, bonded abrasives, concrete power trowel blades, floor grinder tooling and polishing pads. Private-label abrasives are a growing part of the company's product offerings as well, letting companies market their brands on the consumable products sold in the rental, flooring and drywall businesses.

Virginia Abrasives Corporation

Located in Petersburg, VA, Virginia Abrasives Corporation manufactures and distributes abrasives products for the wood flooring and concrete preparation business. The company's product offerings include sandpaper, diamond and bonded abrasives and non-woven abrasives. The company sells its manufactured products under both the VAC brand and under private label for its larger customers. www.virginiaabrasives.com.

Brookstone Partners

Founded in 2003, the New York-based firm prides itself on "Building Businesses, Investing in People." The firm creates investment situations where its goals as investors are directly aligned with those of management and is one of the key factors to its success. Brookstone calls this "Goal Congruency." Broadly defined, it means once the firm commits its capital to a company, its Principals begin working aggressively with management to build the company. www.brookstonepartners.com